


When You Wake Up

by Oh_Contrary



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: But also, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Homesickness, Light Angst, Pidge Angst, Platonic Bonding, light fluff, vldangstweek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-21
Updated: 2017-03-21
Packaged: 2018-10-08 15:59:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10390431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oh_Contrary/pseuds/Oh_Contrary
Summary: Pidge was feeling homesick and really just needed someone to be there.First contribution for@vldangstweek





	

**Author's Note:**

> I somehow didn’t realize it was [@vldangstweek](https://vldangstweek.tumblr.com/)!  
> Here is my contribution for Day1: Homesickness, starring Pidge!

Pidge shivered as she fell out of the pod and into Shiro’s arms. 

“Take it easy, Pidge. Just breathe for a minute,” Shiro said, stroking a hand up and down her back. She took a few rattling breaths, still shaking. She looked up and around the room.

“Takashi?” she said. Shiro froze, for just a moment, then continued stroking Pidge’s back.

“Yeah, Pidge,” Shiro said, leading her to sit down on the sick bed. He handed over her glasses as Allura stepped up with a small med kit. 

“Pidge, can you hold still for me? I need to check your vitals.” Allura stepped forwards, holding a tablet up to different sensors on Pidge’s healing suit. “Everything looks regular, but how do you feel?” Pidge looked around the room. The rest of the boys were standing along the sides. Lance and Hunk were fidgeting and Keith was doing his best to look disinterested, but all of them were watching with concerned eyes.

“I’m fine. Tired, but fine. A little bit, nauseous, I guess? But nothing too bad.”

“That’s normal, especially for your first time in a pod.” Allura said soothingly.

“And what’s their problem?” Pidge said, gesturing to the others.

“We didn’t know how you would be feeling when you got out. I didn’t want them to crowd you,” Shiro murmured conspiratorially. Pidge chuckled. 

“I’m fine, if you guys wanna come over,” Pidge said. In a second, Lance was at her side, closely followed by Hunk. Keith smiled, but stayed where he was, never one for the touchy ‘post-pod’ reunions.

“Oh my god, Pidge, are you okay—” Lance said, pulling her into a hug.

“We were so worried about you—” Hunk said, joining the hug.

“You went down and I though my heart stopped—”

“Green went berserk trying to get to you—”

“You’ve never taken a hit like that, and you’re so little—”

“Guys, I’m fine. And I’m not  _ that _ small, Lance.” 

“Sorry, I just—” Pidge laughed, giving him a smile. 

“Lance, it’s fine.” He hugged her again.

“I’m just really glad you’re okay,” he said into her shoulder. Pidge leaned into the warmth of the hug, sighing. Suddenly, she felt the sting of tears in her eyes and pulled quickly out of the hug, pushing Lance away by the shoulders. He startled, then immediately began apologizing. 

“No, Lance, That was—my bad.” Pidge shook herself, wiping at her eyes. “I think I’m just tired. I’m gonna go to bed.”

“Oh, okay,” Lance said warily, watching as Pidge slid off the bed, wobbling on her feet. 

“Do you want anything to eat, Pidge? Hunk can make you something if you need it.” Shiro said, coming to help her. Hunk nodded eagerly from the side of the bed. 

“No. I just want to get out of this suit and go to sleep.” Pidge snapped. Shiro looked shocked for a moment, then nodded. Taking in Pidge’s tired eyes, and the pout she was trying to hide. 

“Okay, Pidge. We’ll bring you some food later. Do you want someone to walk you to your room or—”

“I think I’m steady, Shiro.” 

“Think you are or—”

“I’m fine.” Pidge snapped. She was met with shocked silence. “Sorry. Just tired.”

“Okay. Sorry. Go get some rest. One of us will come to get your healing suit in a little bit.”

By the time Shiro was finished talking, Pidge was halfway out the door. They all watched her go.

“Shiro,” Allura said, “She can just put the suit in the clothing chute for Coran. It was nothing viral, it can—”

“I wanted an excuse to send someone to check on her,” Shiro admitted. “She seems really off.” Allura nodded. 

“Indeed, she was not herself.”

 

* * *

 

Pidge stripped and stepped into the shower. She sat on the floor of the tub and let the water sluice over her. She scrubbed at her eyes.

“Come on, Katie, get it together,” she whispered. “You’re fine.” 

 

* * *

 

Lance knocked on the door to Pidge’s room. He had talked Shiro out of coming, realizing that he was in over-bearing big brother mode with Pidge right now and, judging from her mood earlier, she probably wouldn’t want to deal with that. 

“Hey Pidge?” he called when there was no answer. He put a hand to the panel and the door was unlocked, sliding right open. He stepped into the room, looking towards the bed, only to find it empty. “Pidge? It’s Lance.” There was splashing from the bathroom.

“Just a minute!” Pidge said. It was followed by muffled splashing and cursing.

“I can come back later, it’s not urgen—” Pidge stepped out of the bathroom, wrapped in a towel. The ends of her hair were dripping onto her shoulders and her eyes were red around the rims. 

“Sorry, my shower turned into a bath. How long have I been in here?”

“Um, a little over an hour, I think.” She looked down at her pruned fingers.

“That makes sense. Sorry, gimme a minute to um… change. Sorry. I’m—”

“No, don’t worry about it I can come back later—”

“Stay,” Pidge said, surprising them both. “I mean, if you want—I don’t—”

“It’s okay. I’ll just sit here while you, uh, get decent.” Lance said, swiping a hand through hi hair as he took a seat on the edge of the bed. 

“Thanks,” Pidge said, crossing to the side of the room where her drawers were. She grabbed a sleep shirt and ducked back into the bathroom. She remerged with her towel around her neck and the Altean shirt hanging down almost to her knees. She crawled onto the bed with Lance and pulled his arm around her neck. 

“Hey there,” he said with a shocked chuckle. Pidge just sighed and he wrapped the arm around her shoulders, pulling her in close. “Pidge, what’s wrong?” 

She sighed again, hiding her face in Lance’s chest. 

“Do you not feel well? Should I get Shiro or Allura?” Lance said, pulling back to try and look at her. She turned her face away, not letting him see her watering eyes.

“I’m okay I just…” she took a shuddering breath. “I miss my mom,” she said quietly, voice breaking as she finally succumbed to the tears pooling in her waterline. She was crying openly, great heaving sobs rising up out of her chest. Lance pulled her into his lap, murmuring and shushing gently, while he rocked her. He held her for long minutes as the sobs slowed to sniffles. He waited until she pulled back, wiping at her eyes with the sleeves of her pajamas.

“She doesn’t even know where I am. I just disappeared. Another one of her kids, gone in a government cover-up. I don’t know how she’s doing. Is she okay? Is she alone in the house?” Pidge stopped to take a shuddering breath. “When I ran off to the Garrison, she was lonely. She’d wanted a cat or something to take care of. The first week… The first week she was so worried I’d get caught. She called three times a day. I always just brushed her off because her stressing about it made me stressed, but… Now I’m really sorry. For all she knows, I got arrested for treason. Or I’m dead. Whatever they told her…” she trailed off, the room quiet but for their breathing and the sound of LAnce’s hand trailing up and down her back.

“I know I should miss my dad and my brother,” she began quietly, “and I do, I just… whenever I was sick or hurt Mom would fuss and look after me and now it’s— it’s just wrong. Not that the tech of the pods isn’t amazing, but—”

“But it feels wrong. Impersonal,” Lance said, letting her lean back into him. “Yeah, I get it.”

“And maybe it’s just because it’s my first time in one, but it’s really jarring.”

“Yeah, it’s really tough. My family is so big that whenever someone is sick, they don’t really get time alone. My mom would have to chase us out of the room just to let whoever wasn’t feeling well rest. Either way though, you’d never wake up alone. And I mean, we’re pretty good about not letting each other wake up in an empty med bay, but—”

“But it’s not the same. Just because people care  _ about _ you doesn’t mean they’re caring  _ for _ you. I miss being cared for.”

They sat in silence then, snuggling on the bed. Lance pet Pidge’s damp hair and Pidge told him stories about her mom until her eyelids began to droop.

“I know it’s the middle of the day, but you should get some sleep,” Lance said after a while. Pidge nodded, stifling a yawn.

“Hey Lance?” she said as he helped her under the covers.

“Yeah?”

“Can you—And you don’t have to but… Could you stay?” Lance stroked her hair.

“Of course, Pidge. I’ll be here when you wake up.”

**Author's Note:**

> Can Tay write angst not including Lance? We'll see.
> 
> xoxo  
> ~Tay
> 
> p.s.- don't get your hopes up, the answer is probably No.
> 
> Also on my [tumblr](https://profoundprincessface.tumblr.com/)!


End file.
